Multipurpose drawer guide

ABSTRACT

A multipurpose drawer guide includes at least one fixed internal portion and a movable external portion, with the possibility of incorporating an intermediate portion for telescopic guides. The movable external portion houses a combination of an upper central roller bearing and lower lateral ball bearings for rolling on a movable head with an upper wall and lower lateral cavities. The shape and dimensions of the movable external portion house either the simple drawer guide or the telescopic guide.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multipurpose drawer guide of the type consisting of at least one fixed internal portion and a movable external portion, with the possibility of incorporating an intermediate portion for telescopic guides, which has rolling elements between the fixed internal and movable external portions and the intermediate portion.

2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98

At present, with reference to the prior art the use of drawer guides made up of a fixed portion positioned adjacent to the item of furniture and a movable external portion for guides with partial drawer extension is conventional and known. The use of telescopic drawer guides is also known, made up of a fixed portion positioned adjacent to the item of furniture, a movable intermediate portion and a movable external portion. In both cases the rolling action between the fixed and movable portions is produced by the use of ball bearing cages housed on the outer walls of the fixed portion, although this type of rolling action has reliability problems when used for very heavy drawers.

For example, patent ES 2029451 discloses a sliding guide system with ball bearings which comprises an inner rail, an outer rail and three sets of ball bearings placed between the rails and positioned in a triangular arrangement, the outer rail being configured to provide three tracks for the three sets of ball bearings and the inner rail having a Y-shaped transverse cross portion with a rod which extends outwards from the centre of the arrangement between two sets of ball bearings and through a groove in the outer rail and two arms which extend outwards from the centre of the arrangement between the other pairs of ball bearing sets.

Patent ES 2200018 discloses a telescopic drawer guide, with a guide rail that can be attached to the body of the item of furniture, a telescopic rail attached to the drawer, a rail with an inner profile which connects the guide rail and the telescopic rail, with which at least one elongated cage is associated in which a bearing device is housed, and metal end stops which limit the final positions of the telescopic rails and which may strike against the fixed stops. In the end zones each cage has additional resilient stops associated with the end stops, which are separate from the end stops of the removable telescopic rail.

Patent ES 2096465 discloses an extraction guide for a pull-out drawer with a guide rail and an extraction rail, and also an inner profiled rail provided with various ball bearing guides which connects the guide rail to the extraction rail, the ball bearings being arranged in sets between the two outer surfaces of the inner profiled rail and the inner surfaces of the guide rail and of the extraction rail, in such a way as to allow them to roll. The guide rail and the extraction rail have an angled transverse cross portion, the two free marginal zones, situated so as to move apart from each other to form ball bearing guides, in each case describing an incurving arc, such that in each case a ball bearing set consists of three ball bearings.

Patent ES 2245056 discloses a drawer extraction guide with a guide rail which is attached to the body of the item of furniture and a roller rail which can be adapted to the drawer and guided by bearings, and which has a profiled rail provided with roller tracks for said bearings situated at one or both ends, where the profiled rail zone adjacent to the roller tracks is not aligned to the vertical so that said zone is situated in the direction or close to the direction of the resultant of the lateral forces incident on the drawer extraction guide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In this state of affairs, the present invention relates to a multipurpose drawer guide which, compared with what exists, is differentiated by a structure that is easier to install, and which saves on repairs and replacements as it can be used for both simple and telescopic runners.

Accordingly, the multipurpose drawer guide of the type consisting of at least one fixed internal portion and a movable external portion, with the possibility of incorporating an intermediate portion for telescopic guides; a multipurpose guide in which the movable external portion houses a combination of an upper central roller and lower lateral ball bearings for rolling on a movable head with an upper wall and lower side cavities, the shape and dimensions of the movable external portion being capable of housing either the simple drawer guide or the telescopic guide.

As a result, the fixed external portion can be fitted with either simple or telescopic runner guides, reducing manufacturing and replacement costs, as only one type of movable external portion and movable head needs to be produced.

In addition, the rolling action between both parts (movable external portion and movable head) is produced by rolling of the upper central roller bearing and lower lateral ball bearings which allows the guide runner to be installed in very heavy drawers, the forces being distributed mostly on the upper wall, which produces less wear and prevents dents and gaps appearing between the components that make up the multipurpose drawer guide. The upper wall may have different geometric configurations depending on the requirements of the drawer in which it is installed, and can take the form of a flat surface or a slightly curved surface at the ends thereof.

Another advantage of the invention is that when the guide is operated in telescopic mode, the movable head of the intermediate portion houses inner ball bearings in the four rounded inner corners thereof for rolling on a cruciform head with four faces of the fixed internal portion.

This configuration allows the movable head to be converted into the intermediate portion of the telescopic runner and there is therefore no need to produce an additional component.

Finally, another feature of the invention is that in another operating mode the movable head is connected to the internal fixed portion.

Owing to this configuration the position of the movable head can be fixed when used as a simple multipurpose drawer guide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To better understand the nature of the invention, the accompanying drawings show a preferred embodiment which is a purely illustrative and non-limiting example.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view in elevation of the drawer guide (1) in the simple mode showing how the rolling action between the movable external portion (3) and the movable head (7) is produced by means of an upper central roller bearing (5) and two lower lateral ball bearings (6).

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in elevation of the telescopic drawer guide (10), showing the different rolling elements between the external movable portion (3), the intermediate portion (4) and the fixed internal portion (2). It also shows how the end of the fixed internal portion (2) terminates in a cruciform head (13) with four faces (14).

In these drawings, the following reference numerals are used:

1. Drawer guide.

2. Fixed internal portion.

3. Movable external portion.

4. Intermediate portion.

5. Upper central roller bearing.

6. Lower lateral ball bearings.

7. Movable head.

8. Upper wall.

9. Lower lateral cavity.

10. Telescopic guide.

11. Rounded inner corners.

12. Inner ball bearings.

13. Head.

14. Cruciform faces.

15. Item of furniture.

16. Drawer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In relation to the drawings and reference numerals listed above, a preferred embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is shown in the accompanying figures relating to a multipurpose drawer guide (1) of the type made up of at least one fixed internal portion (2) and a movable external portion (3), with the possibility of incorporating an intermediate portion (4) for telescopic guides (10). FIG. 1 shows the subject matter of the invention, in which the movable external portion (3) houses a combination of an upper central roller bearing (5) and lower lateral ball bearings (6) for rolling on a movable head (7) with an upper wall (8) and lower side cavities (9), the configuration and dimensions of the movable external portion (3) being capable of housing either the simple drawer guide (1) or the telescopic guide (10).

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, this configuration allows the fixed external portion (3) to be fitted indiscriminately to simple (1) or telescopic (10) guide runners, reducing manufacturing and replacement costs as only one type of movable external portion (3) and movable head (7) needs to be produced.

FIG. 1 shows how the movable head is rigidly connected to the fixed internal portion (2), thus forming a simple drawer guide (1). The movable external portion (3) is connected to the drawer (16). When opening and closing the drawer (16) the movable external portion (3) moves relative to the fixed internal portion (2) owing to the rolling action produced between them by the use of an upper central roller bearing (5) and two movable lateral ball bearings (6).

Another feature of the invention, as can be seen in FIG. 2, is that provision is made when in telescopic guide (10) operating mode for the movable head (7) of the intermediate portion (4) to house inner ball bearings (12) in the four rounded inner corners (11) thereof for rolling on a cruciform head (13) with four faces (14) of the internal fixed portion (2).

FIG. 2 shows how in the telescopic drawer guide (10) operating mode, the movable head (7) of the intermediate portion (4) houses four inner ball bearings (12) in its interior to allow rolling on the fixed internal portion (2). To do this, a cruciform head (13) with four faces (14) is produced at the end of the fixed internal portion (2) on which the inner ball bearings (12) roll. This allows the movable external portion (3) and the movable head (7) to be the same in both operating modes.

Finally, another feature of the invention, as can be seen in FIG. 1, is that provision is made in another operating mode for the movable head (7) to be connected to the fixed internal portion (2).

Variations in the materials, form, size and arrangement of the constituent elements, which are described in a non-limiting manner, do not fundamentally alter this patent. 

1. Multipurpose drawer guide comprising: at least one fixed internal portion; and a movable external portion, possibly incorporating an intermediate portion for telescopic guides, said movable external portion housing a combination of an upper central roller bearing and lower lateral ball bearings, said lower lateral ball bearings rolling on a movable head with an upper wall and lower lateral cavities, said movable external portion housing either a drawer guide or a telescopic guide.
 2. Multipurpose drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein, in a telescopic guide operating mode, said movable head of the intermediate portion houses inner ball bearings in four rounded inner corners thereof so as to roll on a cruciform head with four faces of said fixed internal portion.
 3. Multipurpose drawer guide according to claim 1, wherein said movable head is connected to the fixed internal portion. 